Lillies Bloom Like Magic
by Anonymous-Shade
Summary: AU (kind of) A young girl gets her letter to hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardy, and her seven year adventure begins. There will be many familiar places, and faces.
1. The Letter Arrives

An eleven year old girl sat alone on her bed thinking back to when it all had started. Her face was crinkled, which tended to happen when she thought too deeply. Her jet black hair kept forcing itself down in front of her eyes. She would quickly sweep it back behind her ears, but alas here it comes again back in front of her face. Suddenly the memory had come back as sharply and as clearly as if had just happened to her.

She was now five years in her own past, and looking through her six year old eyes. Her older brother was clutching a flashlight, and a book asking for her cousin to show her something. He sighed, and nodded.

Her older brother, her cousin, and she were all huddled together against a bookshelf in the public library. Her brother was large, and his blonde hair looked as if it were pasted on top of his head. Her cousin wore thick old glasses, and had a mass of black unfixable hair on top of his head. If you stared long enough you could see his unusual lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

Her cousin was holding a stick in the air, and to any other person this would be strange. She was just about to ask when he had made a quick flick with the stick, and said "Lumos". A small, bright, white light appeared at the tip, and the little girl stared in awe at what had happened. "This is magic." said her cousin plainly, "And according to your brother you might be able to do this too one day."

"Wow! Really?" She asked with complete awe. "You think I could?" She was beginning to wiggle with excitement.

"Nox" Her cousin spoke, and the light went out. He hid his stick quickly, because he heard footsteps. "Dudley turn on the torch quickly." Harry said hurriedly. He took out the flashlight, and clicked it on. He shone it onto a children's story, and they separated with the sound of a clearing throat.

An elderly man stood near the three of them, and asked what was going on. "We're reading her a story, and she only likes to hear them in the dark." Her brother jabbed a finger her direction.

"Is that so?" He said flatly. "Can I speak to you a moment?" He looked at her cousin for a response, and her cousin nodded standing up. The two of them had a quiet conversation for a moment or two, before her cousin came back.

"He knew what I was doing. He's from the Ministry of Magic, and was not at all happy that I was showing you that." Her cousin spoke, and she nodded along as if she understood. She tried to grasp the idea, but had no clue what he meant. "I could get in some trouble, but I explained the situation. I'll be fine." He smiled at her as he finished speaking.

"Can I do it too?" She asked her cousin.

"Maybe one day you will, but for now you'll have to wait for at least a few years. Then we will know for sure." Her cousin had said.

"LILY DURSLEY!" Her mother broke the memory with a shout. "Get down here at once! Your supper will turn cold!" She looked around the room as she stood up. This was the room her cousin had lived in when he was here.

"I'm coming mother!" She shouted back as she opened the door. She pelted herself down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Her father was seated at the table with a stern look on his face. She could never recall a time her father had not carried a stern look, except when her brother was around.

"You need to mind your mother better." He shook a large sausage shaped finger at Lily. Her brother was nowhere to be seen. He was too old to live at home, but that did not stop her parents from setting a place for him. He was always their favorite. "You should take a page from Dudley's book." There went her father again talking about her brother's pages. Lily rolled her eyes.

Her cousin had been treated worse than she, that she knew, but she felt like him sometimes. Her parents would never understand her, and she knew it. Had her cousin been right all of those years ago? Was she really going to be able to do magic? She didn't feel powerful, or important in any way. Right about now her father was mentioning about her brother's success at the drill company Grunnings. "- A fine man just like his father." Lily recited her father's words just as they had come out of his mouth.

"That's right." Vernon Dursley said. "So you have been listening."

Mrs. Dursley was angry enough that nobody was eating the meal, that she stormed out of the room. It was at this moment that there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Dursley answered the door, and it was Dudley. He was visiting for dinner. Mrs. Dursley's face brightened up as soon as he opened the door. "We have a place set for you." She beamed at her son. "Will you be spending the night?" She took him in a crushing embrace.

"I believe that I will mum, thank you. Please let go of me now." Dudley now spoke very well mannered. When Harry had saved him with the Patronus charm, Dudley had changed forever. He was now kinder to people, and his hobbies no longer involved hitting the nearest person as hard as he could. Dudley's bedroom was unchanged since the day he had left. His parents left it as a shrine to his existence.

When Dudley entered the kitchen Mr. Dursley stopped scolding Lily. She began to eat quickly, and if she was fast enough her father would still be too excited about seeing his boy that he would forget about scolding her for being late to dinner.

The next day was Saturday, and nobody worked on that day. About noon the mail came, and Mrs. Dursley made Lily collect the mail. When she was looking through it she found one on unusual paper addressed to her. The address was penned with emerald green ink, and it read.

**Ms. L Dursley**

**The Smallest Bedroom**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**


	2. A Torn Letter or Revealed Secrets

Is this what her cousin was talking about all those years ago? What could this letter mean, Lily had to find out. She opened the letter, and had just started to read it when her father had come to see what had been taking her so long. Then he spotted the letter, and his plump face flushed red as a beet.

"Oh no, not again." said her father, "I knew it was a bad idea to give you that name, but would she listen to me? No, and now you think that you'll be going to that freaky school, don't you? I'll stop this now!" He reached for the letter, but Lily was quicker and much lighter than her father. She ducked out of the way, and ran for it. "Petunia, just look at what your daughter has!" Vernon shouted before attempting to bolt after her.

The long thin rail of Petunia Dursley's form spotted her daughter running into the kitchen holding a letter. Her skin became pale before falling to the floor, and Dudley helped her up to a chair. Lily was stunned by the sight before her, and while she was preoccupied her father snatched the letter from her, tore it up, and threw the pieces into the fire.

That night the Dursley home was a most unpleasant place to visit. Although, I'm sure, even on the most pleasant day you wouldn't bother. Many things had changed in the world, but the Dursley home had not changed much since Harry Potter had left 4 Privet Drive twelve years previously. They almost never mentioned him, or his world except when odd things had happened. They only bothered to contact him to say hello on holidays with the sole demand he didn't attempt to ever visit.

The only one in the household completely opposed to Lily going was Vernon. After some talking and convincing, Dudley had gotten his mother over to his side. The odds were three to one, and Vernon held his own quite well. He refused to give in despite the odds, which I am sad to say is Vernon Dursley's only admirable trait.

"I've known about this since she was a baby." said Dudley attempting to feign casualty. The faces on Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were pricless, as they were almost never mad at their only precious Dudley. Yet again doing his best impersonation of a beet, Mr. Dursley for the first time in Lily's memory shouted at his son.

"You knew, and you kept it a secret all this time!" Vernon spat out.

"Not exactly," Dudley replied before nervously completing. "I told Harry. I knew he was the only one that would understand." It was now obvious to Lily that this may very well be the first time her brother had ever been shouted at by her parents. The nervousness in his speech attested to that.

Vernon had seemed to calm down, but at this point he was madder than he had ever been in his life. Vernon took a minute to collect himself before speaking "Since you're so convinced," he muttered to the room. "Tell us all about it." He chuckled to himself believing he had won.

He was not expecting Dudley to answer, and when he had begun speaking Vernon's face again melted into awe. His son had never stood against him for so long before, nor had he attempted to flout his point before. Vernon was now at a complete loss for words.

"Lily was just a baby, and mother had left me to mind her while she fetched some fresh powder from the other room." Dudley spoke dramatically now that he had all of their complete attentions. "She lay on the table, and I waited patiently. Just as mother had finished finding the powder the telephone had rang. She went to answer it since I was watching Lily. I heard a noise outside of the window, and turned away for a second, and when I looked back I saw her rolling to the edge of the table." Petunia gasped when he said this, for he had never told her about the near miss that day.

Dudley cleared his throat, and continued. "I ran to catch her, but the changing table was clear across the room. I wouldn't make it in time, and it would be my fault." He had to stop for a moment, because he was getting emotional.

He composed himself and continued. "Then the most incredible thing happened." Awe filled his eyes as he remembered the events that had transpired. "She was floating in midair just off the edge of the table, and I had no idea what to do. I heard mum coming, and I grabbed her up into my arms. I turned to face her, and she asked me if Lily was the most amazing baby I had ever seen."

Petunia was moved to tears, and Vernon kept his lips clamped tightly shut. He was quite speechless, but not short of anger. "I called Harry the next day, and he told me what we would do. We waited until she was old enough to think for herself, and show her what magic is." Both of them again wore shock on their faces, and Dudley plowed forward. "When she was six, Harry had come for a secret visit during the summer when I was home from university. He showed her a simple trick, and was done with it. After that it was only a matter of waiting, and if you think I showed up at the door for my own health then you are mistaken." As he finished he stared into his sister's eyes was it admiration that she saw swimming in them?

It was some time before Mr. and Mrs. Dursley could even stammer a response. "I'm glad you told me Diddy." Said Petunia. "But, you'll have to answer for keeping this a secret so long."

Dudley answered immediately "I saw how you treated Harry knowing what he could do, and do either of you think; I would willingly allow you to treat my only sister that way?" He spoke with a tone of righteousness that both of the Dursley's were not expecting. He was right after all.

Vernon still had his reservations, but had no choice but to cave in now. "Get Harry on the phone, and have him come take care of her things. Just warn him that I still refuse to pay for anything to do with that school." Vernon had said with a tone of finality.


	3. Preparations

The last thing that Harry Potter had been expecting was for the phone to ring. Why would his aunt and uncle contact him? It wasn't even Christmas yet, and that was the only time they bothered to call. He picked up the receiver, and spoke "Hello?" said Harry, his voice begging the hidden question.

"Harry?" begged a voice he was expecting even less than his aunt or uncle. "It's time." Dudley spoke softly.

Harry nodded as he spoke. "So she's gotten her letter then?" He asked solemnly.

Dudley answered quickly. "Yes. Father said she can attend, but you're stuck paying for it." This sounded much like the Dudley he remembered; there was a slight sneer in his voice. "Hope you can afford it though." His voice returned to the new voice Harry had become accustomed to hearing when he spoke with his cousin.

"Don't worry about it." Said Harry plainly, "I'll be fine".

"Okay Harry. When can you be here?" Dudley asked.

"Give me a little time, tomorrow morning at best." Harry said thinking of the wizard ways to travel. To this day, Harry still despised apparition.

It was at this point that they said their goodbyes. The phones clicked to silence in the two homes, and while the Dursleys were preparing for Harry's arrival the next morning. Harry began to talk to his wife Ginny about his short, but necessary trip. "I'll have to go alone." Harry explained to her. "They hate Wizard kind. The reason that they are allowing their daughter to go to school is more than likely fear. " He spoke and then he pushed up the bridge of his glasses to meet his eyes.

Ginny sighed. "I understand, but I still wish I could meet them." She visited a distant wish, one that could never be revealed. "Will she be coming to stay with us before school?" She asked Harry with a tone of curiosity.

"I don't know Ginny." Said Harry flatly, "I'll send you an Owl when I know for sure."

With that Harry gave his wife a kiss goodbye, and hugged his two sons. James Sirius was now 4, and Albus Severus was 3. His daughter Lily Luna was still an infant at nearly 12 months, and Ginny held her gingerly. Harry needed a vehicle, and he knew just the place to go for it. He grabbed Floo Powder from the fireplace, and shouted "The Burrow." Harry was whisked away from his family and into the familiar smells of the once crowded Burrow. It was now nearly empty, except for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

After a quick explanation, Arthur Weasley handed his son-in-law the keys to another car he had attained. Mrs. Weasley shot her husband an angry look. "I've worked out the kinks. It will not be seen." He said excitedly.

"I'd rather stay on the ground for most of the journey." Said Harry, remembering the difficult experience of his second year, because a pounding from a whomping willow is something one never forgets.

Mrs. Weasley smiled "Smart boy. You don't want to end up in the prophet for a blasted car twice in one lifetime. Do you?" She asked in a tone of what appeared to be warning, while wearing a somewhat unpleasant smile. Mr. Weasley coughed, before taking Harry aside.

"I'll need to use it for a little while if I'm going to make it on time to Little Whinging." Harry whispered to his father-in-law. "Hope you don't mind."

Arthur chuckled. "Not a bit boy." He said carrying a grin as wide as the Nile is long. "Just don't lose this one, or I'll lose my head this time." This time both of the men chuckled, and before long Harry was on his trip to the little house on 4 Privet Drive. The place he believed that he would never return to.

Meanwhile, in the house in 4 Privet Drive there was an awkward silence prevailing. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley had hardly spoken a word after Dudley returned from the phone call. Their only daughter was the one thing they had feared their whole lives. Lily was ecstatic, and to keep the rage of her parents down she stole away to her bedroom.

It was here that she could hardly contain herself. She jittered and bounced with excitement. She could not sit still for a second. Then she remembered something awful. Her father had stolen her letter, and threw it to the fire after tearing it to shreds. How was she to know if she had been accepted? All that she had read was her own name.

She began to shake with the anxiety of what tomorrow would bring. While lily was worrying about her letter, across the country in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor McGonnagal was fuming. "Blasted evil little muggle family." She muttered to herself while penning out another letter for young Ms. L. Dursley. "How Harry had put up with them, and managed to keep himself from getting expelled, I'll never know."

A silvery voice spoke behind her. "Now Minerva, Is that any way to behave."

Professor McGonnagal Jumped in her seat before turning to see the speaker, "Albus you gave me a fright." The wizened face gave a smile, and the eyes twinkled behind half-moon spectacles. The portrait of Albus Dumbledore had spoken, and gave her a curt nod. "I'm used to silence in this office."

"That will change soon Minerva, as all of us are here to help you teach the students." At this time Professor Dumbledore gave a wave of his hand sweeping in a circle parallel to the wall. This made Professor McGonnagal spy all of the portraits on the wall.

The wall of portraits showed each of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts. Each of the portraits gave a nod in agreement as her eyes stopped on their respective portrait. She swept the entire wall before stopping on one face.

Her eyes had stopped on Professor Severus Snape, a Slytherin house Headmaster. It took a moment before he nodded as well. He had been Headmaster between professors Dumbledore, and McGonnagal. He always seemed to be dark and brooding, but in truth was a deeply caring heart. "Okay Albus, " professor McGonnagal paused to take in a deep breath, "What is it this time, Albus?" She asked.


	4. Diagon Alley

Lily woke the next morning, and her blood was boiling just as much as it had been the night before. She dreamt of the secret meeting she had with her cousin when she was small. Were the events of the previous day nothing more than an exciting dream? She would not discover the answer to that by lying in bed all day. She changed out of her pajamas, and into the most interesting clothes that she had: a pair of jeans with the knees torn out, and a black T-shirt proudly displaying the Union Jack.

Her collection of clothes was personal, and had not been bought cheaply. Her parents spared no expense for her until now. She spun in the mirror examining her figure and finished her time with the mirror by brushing out her hair.

She briskly made her way downstairs humming something familiar, and found her mother in the kitchen readying breakfast when there was a ring at the doorbell. Lily ran to answer it. Waiting behind the door was a man with messy black hair, and thick framed glasses. He was almost exactly how she remembered him, and invited him inside. "He's here." She said trying not to sound too excited.

Her mother's face appeared in the doorway, to stammer out a hello before hiding back in the kitchen. Harry chuckled lightly before looking at his cousin, and she had grown tremendously since he saw her last. "You've gotten big Lily." He said smiling at her. "There are a few things I need to discuss before we leave."

She smiled back, and replied "It's alright. I haven't had anything to eat yet. I just woke up." Harry had traveled all night to make it to the Dursley's door at precisely 8:30. He wore a creased suit hand pressed by a hot iron. He liked to wear it to work even though all the other witches and wizards in the ministry wore business robes.

A few hours later Lily and Harry were well on their way to Diagon Alley with the freshly delivered letter. They went into the old tavern, and out into the back courtyard. Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the same three bricks that Hagrid had shown him on his first trip to Hogwarts. The bricks moved to reveal the secret wizard street. The first stop was Gringotts bank for the money they would need for her school supplies.

"Lily," Harry said pausing at the entry way to Diagon Alley, "Our first stop is Gringotts the wizard's bank. The place is run by goblins so try not to stare." Lily's eyes widened with amazement as she got her first glimpse of the wizarding world.

"Goblins are real!" She shouted a little too loudly causing a few wizards and witches to turn and stare at her. "Sorry." She blushed as she spoke. "It's my first time in Diagon Alley." An elderly wizard nodded and chuckled, remembering full well his first time in Diagon Alley. The rest of the crowd pretty much returned to business as usual.

Gringotts stood towering over the rest of the buildings in diagon alley, and at the door was a goblin. "Good day to you Mr. Potter, and who is this young lady?" He spoke eloquently.

"This is my cousin, and she's been accepted to Hogwarts. We're gathering supplies today." Harry said.

The Goblin smiled. "Good luck. Young miss." He said before opening the door for them. The two of them entered the massive lobby of Gringotts bank, and approached the goblin at the desk. He was writing on a leaf of parchment, and his quill stopped. The goblin grunted in annoyance at the interruption from his work. Finally he looked up from his parchment.

"Hello Mr. Potter." The goblin said pushing more of his annoyance. "Will you be making a withdrawal today?"

"Yes." Harry said. The goblin signaled another goblin to assist Harry down into the dungeons to his safe. The three of them got on the cart, and took the swift rickety ride to the proper safe. Harry showed Lily his bank vault, and told her about wizard money. "29 Bronze Knuts to a Silver Sickle, 17 Sickles to a Golden Galleon. Galleons are the largest monetary unit in the wizarding world." Harry said plainly holding a small sack full of wizard gold. He handed her the money, and the three of them boarded the cart and headed for the surface again.

Once outside of the bank Harry looked around at the stores, before asking "Where do you want to go first?"

Lily looked confused. "I don't know." She said shrugging.

"Take out the second page of your letter, and look at the list. There should be something you'd like to do first." Harry suggested.

Lily reached into her pocket, and examined the following list.

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

Wand

cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set

glass or crystal phials

telescope set

brass scales

Students may also bring an owl, OR a cat, OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED

THEIR OWN

BROOMSTICKS

She knew exactly what she wanted to do first. She would love to see all of the other stores that Diagon Alley had to offer, but she wanted her wand first. "Can please we go get my wand first?" Lily was quivering with excitement, and only became more ecstatic with each passing second.

"Ok." Harry said with a smile "First stop is Ollivander's Wands."


	5. Shopping

When Harry and Lily arrived at Ollivander's, it appeared much the same as it had when Harry first visited it. An older Ollivander sat behind the counter, his face brightening when Harry entered the store. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Welcome back, I remember your first wand, yes. It was Yew, thirteen-and-a-half inches, a Phoenix feather core. Was the twin wand to the one wielded by He-Who-Must Not-Be-Named, and what brings you in today?" Ollivander asked.

"My cousin has been accepted to Hogwarts, and she needs supplies. We're here for her wand." Harry said simply.

"Ah. What's your name girl?" Ollivander had come close to her.

"My name is Lily, Lily Dursley." Lily found herself to be intimidated by the man that eyed her more closely than any person had ever done before. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable when he backed away and left to find her a wand from the shelves.

"Which arm will be your wand wielding arm?" He asked from the top of a ladder, practically shouting so that she would hear him.

"I'm right handed!" She shouted back.

"No need to shout, girl. I'm not deaf yet." Ollivander said standing next to her wriggling a pinky finger in his left ear.

"S-sorry." she fumbled with her words before mumbling an apology.

"You'll have to speak a little louder than that dear." He said holding a wand in front of her. She took it in her hand and admired its handle. It had intricate curls that seemed to pull her in. "You need to wave it child." When he spoke she was woken from her trance.

"The handle has beautiful carving work." She noted.

Ollivander smiled "Thank you dear. I made all of the wands in this shop, and put everything I could in all of them. It 's a rare thing indeed for a witch or a wizard to pay attention to the intricacies of a wand." She tightened her grip on the wand and flicked it. A row of boxes fell off of the shelf. "Not that one." The wand was taken from her hands, and replaced with another.

She waved this wand and the chandelier fell from the ceiling. Wand after wand caused failure after failure, and she was beginning to think that Hogwarts had made a mistake. Ollivander scratched his head. "Tricky one" He muttered thinking what to do next. He had searched all the shelves in the front room, and the back room. "I have only two more to try." He said to her moving to the window and pulling one from a purple pillow. "Try it." He said.

Again she noticed the handle of the wand, and it had a crescent moon shining down on a bat in flight on a cloudy night. She waved it, and the broken, disheveled room repaired, and replaced itself to its original place. "This is the one!" She said at the same time as Ollivander.

Ollivander gave her the largest grin she had ever seen. "You have a gift with wands girl. I'd wager you would make a fine wand maker one day, and look at this. You've saved me the trouble of cleaning up!" He waved a hand about the store, and she noticed that it was looking exactly as when she had entered.

"Incredible! Did I do this?" She asked looking at harry, and he nodded. She looked around the room again in amazement. Then she eyed the work on the handle of the wand again. That exact same bat in flight on that same cloudy night under the very same full moons light. She felt like the bat was going to fly out of her wand if she tried hard enough.

"Are you going to pay me now or what?" Ollivander said from behind his counter. "I do have a shop to run you know."

"O-o-of course." Lily stammered out a response handing him the price of the wand in galleons. "Thank you!" She said waving goodbye as her figure wandered out of the door frame. Ollivander watched her and Harry's silhouette vanish into another store before returning to his work.

For the rest of the day Harry and Lily flitted about Diagon Alley doing this, and that. First, they gathered her school books, quills, and parchment from flourish and blots. Second was a trip to Madam Malkin's for her witch robes, and cloak. They purchased her Cauldron, and her other necessity items. The last stop for them was the pet shop.

When they walked in, the two were bombarded by an assortment of noises. There were crickets chirping away in tiny cages, all along a shelf higher up so that children would not be able to knock them over. There was an entire section full of cats of all kinds of sizes, and breeds. There were many owls, and one of the snowy owls gave Harry a hoot as they passed by. He seemed to wipe away a tear though Lily didn't ask why.

She saw a collection of reptiles in glass cages from the smallest lizards to a gigantic Komodo Dragon. Passing by each animal she hadn't the slightest clue which one she would pick. "There goes another one." She heard a small sarcastic voice. "They'll walk right and not even notice me, just like all the others." It finished its point, and heaved a sigh.

"Who said that?" Lily asked looking at Harry and he eyed her in surprise. "I want to know!"

"Who's asking?" The little voice chimed in. "Is that you Bennet, You old git? I told you before I'm not your son, you daft old bugger." He chimed in. Lily followed the voice to a small square rat cage with a dowel shoved in for a makeshift perch. She found a bat perching upside-down with its wings folded in on itself. "Oh look. How amusing, one of them thinks I might be interesting. She'll stare for a minute, but then she'll probably go and buy a bloody owl." Lily's eyes grew wide with the understanding of what she was experiencing.

"I don't want an owl though. They disturb me, and while I like cats I find them too ordinary." Lily said to the bat. "I think lizards, crickets, rats, and toads are disgusting. You however, I like. My name's Lily, and you are?"

The bat unfurled its wings, and eyed Lily with interest "You can understand me? That's very unusual, even for your kind." It came down from it's perch and righted itself climbing the side of the cage to look at her more closely. "My name is Vergil. I'm a Seychelles sheath-tailed bat, _Coleura seychellensis_, only a few of us left in the world I'm afraid. I'm from an island arc, and guess what its called? If you guessed the Seychelles you'd be right. You humans can be unimaginative lot sometimes."

Lily laughed at the bat's words, and took them to heart. "I'll not forget to use my imagination anytime soon. I like you Vergil, would you mind if I bought you?" Lily asked.

"Of course I don't mind, I'd love to get out this wretched shop. It's full of screeches, and smells of scat. Do you think that would be a pleasant life? Waiting in a cage for someone to buy you, when you're surrounded by much happier animals getting bought and taken out this screech ridden hole, its no life in my eyes." Vergil summed up his life view in a matter of seconds.

"I've decided then." She said to her new companion. She turned to her cousin, and said. "I've made my decision. I want Vergil." Lily pointed at the cage, and started to pick it up.

Harry eyed the list "It says you can bring an owl, or a cat, or a toad."

Lily re-read her list. "It doesn't say NOT a bat though. If they have a problem with it I'll find another place to go." Lily was, of course bluffing; she had no idea how to even contact another school.

Harry deduced that she was bluffing, but let the bluff slide without an argument. "I guess you'll show Professor McGonagall a few things." He said grinning at her. "Then again, my friend had a rat in Hogwarts for many years, and nobody said anything, and they aren't on the list."

"Hey Lil! Do you mind if I call you Lil?" Vergil asked. Lily shook her head no to dictate that she liked the nickname. "I'd like a bit more room if you don't mind." Vergil inquired of Lily. "This cage is a little cramped."

"Vergil wants a larger cage" Lily said to Harry.

He eyed the small square cage, and nodded. "I can hardly blame him." The three approached the counter, and the eyes of the shop owner went wide.

"I thought nobody would ever buy that bat." He said to them.

"Told you!" Vergil screeched happily.

Harry looked up at the wizard behind the counter. "Do you have any larger cages? He's unhappy with this one."

The wizard behind the counter eyed the cage. "How do you know that? He looks fine to me."

"Let me stuff you in here and see how you feel!" Vergil screeched.

Lily beamed. "You want him to hear that?" she asked. Vergil nodded. She turned her attentions on the attendant "Vergil says he should stuff you in that cage and see how comfortable you would be." Lily translated to the attendant.

He eyed Lily for a second before moving from behind the counter. "I'll see what I have in the back." He said before vanishing behind a curtain resembling the night sky.

Lily giggled when the wizard disappeared. Harry tried his best to look upset, but was too amused. "That was rude, but he deserved it." Harry said in a whisper, attempting to hold back a chuckle. A few seconds later the attendant returned with a larger domed cage designed for a bird, but would work well for a bat. Lily also bought a cage cover so that Vergil would not be blinded by the sunlight. The two of them exited the pet store, and left Diagon Alley.


	6. The Hogwarts Hat

Two figures arrived at King's cross station on November 1st one is a young girl dragging a cage behind her. The other is a tall thin man with messy jet black hair. They were walking briskly and stopped at the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. "Follow me." Harry says to his niece.

She watched as he walked straight through the wall! "If he can do it so can I" She reassured herself looking for Muggles before stepping through. The wall was some kind of illusion, because through she could not feel anything but the air on her body as she breezed onto the platform.

"That was something." Lily said with excitement.

"That's only the tip of the iceberg." Harry said to send her excitement soaring. "You'll be awed when you get to school."

"I've been reading that book your friend, Hermione gave me _Hogwarts: A History._ She's right that it would help me feel better about going there. I still have a million questions, but at least I know a lot of things about the school. I just think that I'd rather be experiencing things first hand." She said to her uncle.

"Hermione would hate to hear that books are not the answer for you. Have you decided what house you want be in?" Harry asked as her trunk was taken on board.

"The only thing I know for sure is that I don't want to be in Hufflepuff. The other three houses seem okay to me." She said shrugging. "I guess I'll let the hat decide."

Harry nodded and gave her some advice. "If you end up in Slytherin House be careful, because some of that lot won't take kindly to you being a Muggle-born, particularly since you're related to me." She nodded just as the whistle blew, and they looked at the time. "It's time to go now." Harry said wishing he could tell her more.

She boarded the bright red Hogwarts Express feeling confident, but a little alone. "How are things out there Lil?" Vergil asked.

"We've boarded the train, and have already departed the station. You and I are in the corridor. I'm looking for an empty cabin." She said carrying his cage.

A Ravenclaw second year poked her head out of a cabin. "What are you doing making those screeching noises?"

Lily tilted her head to the left in confusion, eyeing the girl that had addressed her. She was tall for her age, and carried an air of sharpness. Her wheat brown hair was tied back with a large blue bow. "Only you can understand me, Lil you speak to me in my own language. The other humans simply hear screeching."

Nodding with understanding she lifted her cage. "Talking to my bat, we can understand each other."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Do you mean to tell me that you are a natural Vesper Tongue?" The girl eyes her for a second. "You're a first year aren't you?"

Lily's robes did not yet have house colors, and she was wearing simple black robes. Lily nodded to answer. "I'm a Muggle born. My cousin is a wizard, and from what I heard and read, he's famous in this world."

The Ravenclaw girl's blue eyes traveled Lily curiously "Who is your cousin?"

Lily took a deep breath. "Harry Potter."

She nodded "Yeah. He's famous alright, but don't go around telling everybody you're related to him. He took down the most powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. People are still afraid to speak his name, because he came back from the dead once. Some of his old followers are still lurking around looking for a way to get revenge on Harry."

Lily was the one to be shocked this time. "He didn't tell me about that at all, but now I know why. He only told me about some of his school adventures, like killing the Basilisk in the chamber of secrets. He never mentioned Voldemort. I'll have to ask him about it sometime."

The Ravenclaw girl decided to change the subject. "My name is Elizabeth Thorne. I'm in Ravenclaw, and you are?"

"Lily Dursley. I think your name is lovely, and I knew that you were in Ravenclaw because of your colors." She said lifting the cage. "This is Vergil."

The girl ignored the cage that she knew contained a bat. "Are you worried about sorting?"

She shook her head. "Just like I told my cousin, as long as I'm not in Hufflepuff I don't care. He says the hat will take in mind your choice. Is that true?"

Elizabeth nodded. "The hat was going to place me in Slytherin, but I wanted to be in Ravenclaw. I met some boys from Slytherin before the sorting, and didn't like them much. The Ravenclaw ghost was so beautiful, and she told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. Of course she told this to all of the first years, but it felt like she was speaking to me directly."

Lily nodded, changing the conversation. "What are your teachers like? Will we see each other in class?"

"No, the classes are designed so that younger students won't try something possibly dangerous, or hazardous for their age group. You'll need to get to know your teachers as you go. I don't want to spoil the surprise." Elizabeth said coyly.

At this time the door slid open, and a boy with the same brown hair came into the cabin, decked in the colors of Slytherin house. "Hey sis. Who's this?" The boy said, eyeing Lily suspiciously.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Simon, this is Lily Dursley. Lily, this is my twin brother Simon. We're half-blood, our mother was a Muggle. Father died when we were both infants."

Simon rolled his eyes this time. "Do you have to tell every person on earth our life story?" He turned his attention to Lily. "This is your first year isn't it?"

Lily nodded. "It is my first year." She said remembering Harry's advice not to spill that she was a Muggle-born. "Elizabeth was just telling me about her sorting."

Elizabeth chimed in "Simon, she's a natural Vesper Tongue."

Simon's eyes bored into her "Really?" He said as his eyes met hers. His eyes matched Elizabeth's eyes almost perfectly. His eyes moved to the cage. "I assume there is a bat in that cage."

"Yes, His name is Vergil." Lily said. Simon tried to lift the cage cover. "You can't do that, the sun will blind him!" She shouted.

He dropped the cage cover. "Sorry about that." He tried to look apologetic, though he truly wasn't. He sat next to his sister. The two girls gave him an awkward look. "Ok. I get it." He stood up leaving the cabin. "Girl time, I'm gone." The two girls talked for the remainder of the train ride about everything from their home towns to their lives before they got their Hogwarts letters.

The train came screeching to a halt at this time the two girls conversation also came to an end. "Well that's our cue to get going. I'll see you around Lily." Elizabeth said getting out of her seat.

Lily stood up looked out the window, it was dark out now. Lily lifted the cage cover so that Vergil could see. She then made her way out of the train following the mass of students leaving the train. She heard a voice shouting "Firs' years this way. Firs' years!"

It was Hagrid, the groundskeeper of Hogwarts, gathering the first years for the boat ride over the lake onto the Hogwarts grounds. Harry had introduced her to Hagrid in Diagon Alley. She waved when she saw him; he gave her a little wave in return. All of the first years had gathered in front of Hagrid, and he loaded them onto the boats.

Once the boats traveled far enough the castle came into view and the first year students got their first look at Hogwarts. The Castle loomed over them, and the age old battlements seemed to look down on them with expectation of the possible greatness that lurked in each of them.

She rose as her boat came to a stop. "That castle is amazing." Another first year said getting out of the boat behind her. "I wonder how old it is."

Lily turned to the student. "I have a copy of _Hogwarts: a History_ if you would like to read it."

His face lit up when she said that. "I would love to read it. My mother's copy got destroyed when a dragon got loose from Gringotts. I never had a chance to even glance at it."

Hagrid led them through the grounds to the castle entrance. The massive doors opened, and there to greet them was Professor Flitwick. "My name is Professor Flitwick, I teach Charms and I have been tasked with sorting you this year. I would to welcome you to the school, follow me."

Flitwick lead them into the Great Hall. The professors all sat in a row facing the students. In between the students and professors stood an old torn hat on a stool. The hat sang a song a same as every year, but the song changes every year. The students clapped after the object finished its song. The hat tried to bow, but stumbled off of the stool. The entire class body began howling with laughter.

After all was silent, the sorting was about to begin, but where would the hat place her? She did not have long to find out, because Professor Flitwick was already beginning to read names in alphabetical order. "Algiers, Benjamin" Flitwick called. The boy that Lily had spoken with earlier moved to the stool, and Flitwick placed the hat on his head. The hat mumbled in the boy's ear for a few minutes before placing him in Ravenclaw.

Gwendolyn Arasteh was placed in Slytherin. Emory Astrid (no relation the Astronomy Professor) was placed in Hufflepuff. Jane Ayers was placed in Gryffindor. Nero Bevlon was placed in Gryffindor. Franklin Castor was placed in Slytherin. Avery Connors was placed in Hufflepuff. Jason Crowley was placed in Slytherin. Phillip Deforest was placed in Ravenclaw.

After the students were sorted they were welcomed at their house tables with a clap. Lily was beginning to feel anxious. The first "D" name has already been called, that means that she would be called soon. She found herself clapping despite not being consciously aware of moving them. She was just doing it because she felt that she should. Lee Donaven found himself in Gryffindor. Emily Dostrun was sorted into Slytherin.

"Dursley, Lily" Professor Flitwick called. She walked forward to the stool, and sat crossing her legs like a proper lady. Flitwick placed the hat on her head. Its rip opened as it began to look into her mind.

"You are intelligent, that is obvious. You carry yourself with quite a bit of pride. You are courageous as well as hard working. I could put you anywhere in this school, and you would undoubtedly find your niche." The hat whispered his musings in her ear as he mulled over the decision. "I see you are fueled by your desires. Once you know what you want you will go to many lengths to attain it. I just don't know where to put you."

Lily crossed her fingers hoping with everything in her not to be placed in Hufflepuff. The hat thought for a few minutes more than any of the other students. The student body watched in amazement as the hat has never taken this long to decide. Professor McGonagall was tapping her feet with impatience.

The sound of McGonagall's tapping feet urged the hat's decision forth. "Slytherin!" The hat shouted making his decision audible for the entire student body. She rose to a hailstorm of clapping from the student body, and received a warm greeting at the green and silver table.

She sat with her fellow Slytherins watching the rest of the sorting. Kane Everett got put into Ravenclaw the second the hat touched his head. Janine Flint was flung into Hufflepuff. Kelsey James became a member of Hufflepuff as well. Sarah Maetus was placed in Gryffindor. Rebecca Rancor was placed into Ravenclaw Angelica stone was also put into Ravenclaw. Sarah Wolfclaw was placed in Gryffindor. The final student placed was Tom Xiao who became placed into Hufflepuff.

With each successive student Lily clapped in the same uninterested way. After Tom Xiao took his seat at the Hufflepuff table Professor Flitwick took the stool and the hat away to put them in the Headmaster's office. He returned taking his seat among the other professors.

Professor McGonagall rose to her feet. "Welcome to the Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. For those of you returning you know the rules, but once again Mr. Argus Filch would like me to remind you that no student is be out of their common rooms past eleven 'o clock. Under no circumstances are students allowed into the Dark forest at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, and this year there is a special rule. The west wing of the fourth basement floor has been sealed by a student as a practical joke at the end of last term, but this student has been exposed. Would Simon Thorne please step forward?"

Simon rose from his seat at the Slytherin table, and walked proudly to the headmaster's podium on the way up stopping for only a moment. "We'll have tons of fun this year. I promise." He said patting Lily on the shoulder with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Congrats on making it in with us, that's tough for one of you." He whispered with a wink "Your secret's safe with me Muggleborn."


End file.
